Notes on a practice: Spurs maintain respect for underdog Dallas

The Spurs have had virtually no trouble with Dallas in recent seasons, winning nine straight meetings and 13 of the past 15 dating to December 2010.

Which means that the Mavericks will have to beat San Antonio twice as many times in the next two weeks as they have over the past four seasons in order to buck the massive odds against them in the best-of-seven, first-round series that begins Sunday at the AT&T Center.

The Spurs are still maintaining what coach Gregg Popovich would describe as “appropriate fear” for their underdog opponent, particularly their potent offense (109 points per 100 possessions, tied for second).

“They have a lot of scorers,” Manu Ginobili said after Friday’s practice. “They can really shoot the ball. They’re one of the best in the league. They have shooters in multiple positions. So they are a big threat offensively.”

Seven Mavericks averaged at least 7.9 points, led by Dirk Nowitzki at 21.7. As a team, they finished second in 3-point shooting (38.4 percent), fourth in overall shooting (47.4 percent), sixth in turnover percent (12.7) and eighth in 3-point makes (8.8 per game).

Unlike the balanced Spurs, however, Dallas was among the NBA’s worst defensive teams (105.9 points/100, 22nd). The Mavericks have been especially porous against the Spurs this season, allowing more than 115 points per 100 possessions in four losses.

As big a weakness as that might be, the Spurs weren’t about to pick at it in advance of Sunday’s opener.

“Sometimes that is not an issue in the playoffs,” Ginobili said. “Sometimes players step up and their defense is much better. If their offense is the same way, it can be a problem. They have a lot of experienced players who have been there, so we really expect a tough playoff series.”

Bouncing back: The further they move into the playoffs, the more the Spurs will be asked to reflect on their collapse in last season’s Finals.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said recently that, of all his team’s achievements during one of the best regular seasons in franchise history, he was most proud of its collective resolve to put that setback behind them. For Ginobili, he had surprisingly little trouble doing so.”

“To tell you the truth, I didn’t think about what happened last season,” he said. “I just want to help put my team in a similar situation to have another shot and see if we can go all the way. So I didn’t have it in my head the whole season. I think the most remarkable part was January and February, when we had so many injuries, with so many guys stepping up and replacing players and getting big wins that gave us the cushion to finish the season No. 1.”

Stopper: As the Spurs’ top defensive option,Kawhi Leonard will be tasked with guarding everyone from the 7-foot Nowitzki to 6-3 guard Monta Ellis.

“You’ve just to be mentally prepared and know who I’m guarding at the time,” Leonard said. “They’re two different types of players. The series, this year, I’ve been guarding both. It’s nothing unusual.”

Even though he’s still just 22, Leonard is almost a grizzled veteran in NBA years entering his third playoff season. But he said his approach remains the same from his rookie season.